The Strength Behind An Enemy

Chapter 24











Xander shuddered in anguish and shook his head to try to dispel the terror and pain that was floating through his link to Buffy. He saw the older man as the vampire holding him turned him; it was the same one that had turned the parents of the baby that Buffy was protecting. A name echoed through his head and a sense of foreboding came over him. He saw a flash of an older man and knew that the vampire that had turned Buffy’s friend was going to be dead before the end of the next day.







He walked out of the lab and went to find Riddick since Horatio and the others had had to go to work and Elliot had gone with them.











~@~@~@~@~@~@~











Evan cringed as he was thrown roughly to the ground and kicked in the stomach; he rolled on his back gasping with pain. He had been in Miami for barely six hours before he had been grabbed leaving Buffy’s house. He had been on his way to the compound that Buffy had told him about the day before she disappeared. Unfortunately, a pair of vampires had grabbed him. They had killed Yvette while Evan had been helpless to save her.











They had then thrown him in their trunk and taken off. That was several hours ago and so far he had been beaten and taunted with the fact that the bitch in charge had turned Buffy. He moaned again as he was lifted by his throat and held aloft. He looked around him as he heard someone scream in rage, and then a baby cry.











His eyes widened at the sight before him. Buffy was lying in a cage. Near her were several other people. Buffy was holding a baby in her arms and looking at him in anguish. “Nooooo!” she screamed as the man holding him lunged forward, biting him. Evan lifted a hand to her, trying to show he cared, but it was too late for reassurance. His eyes closed and he faded away into darkness.











The next time he opened his eyes, he was in a cage and in a great deal of pain. A young woman was holding his head in her lap. “You’ve been turned.” She said gently. Evan closed his eyes again and rode through his death. The only clear thought was that Nash was going to be pissed.















~@~@~@~@~@~@~











“Nash man, Evan has barely been gone a few hours and you are going to Miami? At least let me go with you.” Joe argued.











“Evan’s in trouble Joe, I feel it I’ve got to go, but you need to stay here. Hell Bubba, what will Ingrid say if you take off to Miami with me?” Nash asked as he made his way through the streets to the airport.











“When I explain that it is over Evan missing she’ll understand. Nash we have to make a phone call before we go. I have a contact in Miami that can help us find out if Evan is okay.” Joe said trying to calm his friend. Nash didn’t know the full truth of what Evan may have walked into. Joe did, for that matter so did Ingrid.











“Fine, but make it fast. I have a bad feeling if we don’t get to Evan soon we won’t get to him at all.” Nash said grimly.











~@~@~@~@~@~@~











“Temple Nocturne, how may I direct your call?” Storm asked calmly. Her mate had been called to the new compound that Riddick’s grandchild owned and that the clan had been working out of. Something had happened to one of his descendants.











“Storm its Joe Dominguez I need to speak to Jace please?” Joe said calmly. He was nervous and like Nash, he had a bad feeling that Evan was in a great deal of trouble.











“One minute Joe,” Storm said, surprised that Joe would call from San Francisco. “Jace, Joe Dominguez is on the phone.” She told her employer.











Jace raised an eyebrow, but reached over and took the phone from her. Jace knew Joe and Evan from a case they had worked for a couple of Jace’s friends and a fellow Dom that had been abused by a homophobic asshole just a year before. Jace had also found out that Joe was married to a chosen from Mot and that Evan knew and had hunted rogues with Buffy.











“Joseph, to what do I owe this call?” Jace asked in a near purr.











“Evan is in Miami looking for Buffy, Nash and I think he is in trouble.” Joe said coming quickly to the point.











Jace had also met Nash and found him to be a very fascinating man. Jace had wanted to turn him, but had decided against it, simply because he was sure that Nash would not have agreed. “That is bad news darling, Buffy has been taken by a very bad woman and her minions. I need to make some calls but I will get back to you in a few minutes, head this way, but be careful. Do not ask any questions about Buffy or Evan until you have heard from me.” Jace ordered.











“Agreed and thanks,” Joe said.











“Don’t thank me yet dear, I may not have the answers you are hoping for,” Jace said grimly before hanging up the phone.











Joe turned to look at Nash and sighed, it looked as though his friend would be learning a great deal today. He just hoped that Nash reacted the way he did with everything else weird that had been thrown at them over the years.











Joe decided to call Ingrid and tell her what was going on before he told Nash the truth. When his wife answered Joe took a deep breath and started talking. “Ingrid, Nash and I have to go to Miami.” He said calmly.











“Why, what is going on Joe?” Ingrid asked worried about the tone Joe had used.











“Evan is out hunting Buffy Summers, she’s disappeared and Nash has a bad feeling that Evan is in trouble.” Joe told her.











Ingrid’s eyes widened. “Is this clan related?” she asked softly, worried.











“Maybe, I called Jace and he knew that Buffy had been taken by a very bad woman. He told me not to ask any questions about either of them until we get there and have talked to him.” Joe answered. He noticed the looks that Nash kept sending his way. Damn the man and his intuition.











“Be careful Joe, come home to me.” She said, knowing that this could potentially be more dangerous than his job.











“I will,” Joe promised and hung up.











“What aren’t you telling Bubba?” Nash demanded as he cut through traffic.











“I have a story for you and I need you to listen and believe me. What I am going to tell you is the truth.” Joe said dead serious.











“Oh hell, I’m listening.” Nash said, extremely worried.











~@~@~@~@~@~@~











Jace cursed under his breath and dialed Speed’s number and prayed that they had grabbed Evan up for his protection. At the same time Speed and Elliot had been called out on a case, even though they did not want to leave the compound they had work to do. When they reached the house Alexx was already there, having left earlier to answer a call, which turned out to be this one.











When they walked in Speed froze at the sight that greeted him, he recognized the pictures on the mantle and had a sick feeling in his stomach. He walked into the parlor and saw Alexx crouched down beside the body of a woman in her mid-thirties. Speed knew whom she was without having to be told. “Yvette,” he said softly. Speed had met the woman when she was still practically a child and had come to work for the Summers family at age 17, after the murder of Joyce, Hank, and Dawn Yvette was the only one of the household servants to stay, everyone else had gone with the decision to banish Buffy. Now she was dead.











“We found signs of a struggle in the next room and an I.D. Detective Evan Cortez.” Horatio said from the next room, Speed stepped to the left and saw his mate standing in the dinning room there was a painting on the wall, a painting of Buffy’s family. Horatio was staring at the painting and Speed could feel sorrow and anger as his mate looked at what remained of a once happy and vibrant family.











Speed looked down as his phone rang and was surprised to see Jace’s number come up. “Speedle.” He said as he answered.











“Evan Cortez, do you have him?” Jace asked almost urgently.











“No why?” Speed asked wondering why Jace would call him.











“Nash Bridges is coming to look for him and Buffy both. Nash is much like your Horatio Caine; they both have the same reputation. Joseph, Nash’s partner is married to a chosen from Mot; they are on their way here.” Jace answered succinctly.











“Cortez has been taken by someone, probably who you are thinking took him.” Speed answered carefully.











Jace cursed again, “I’ll send them to your new compound; have one of Riddick’s darlings pick them up won’t you? I’ll call you back with the flight time.”











“Alright,” Speed said, also cursing what was happening. Fate just seemed to be working against them in this case.











He hung up with Jace only to have the phone ring again, this time it was Riddick. “Speedle,” he answered.











“We’ve got a problem, Xander had another vision.” Riddick said shortly, these visions were really beginning to piss him off, he couldn’t wait til he could go and kill something.











“What now?” Speed asked with a groan. Elliot and Horatio had both turned to face him when Riddick began to talk. At the mention of another vision, Elliot tensed up and looked worried.











“Some cop tied to Buffy has been turned, what’s worse his boss is on the way here and Xander has seen him on the raid with us.” Riddick told him gruffly.











Speed growled, “That goes with what we know here, tell Angel that Yvette is dead. They took Cortez from Buffy’s house. They must have had it under surveillance. We’ll be back as soon as we can, I’m going to be calling back with flight times for Bridges and his partner, I need you or one of the others to meet them at the airport and take them to the compound.”











“Alright,” Riddick said before hanging up the phone. He looked over at Xander, saw that his youngest child had stopped working on weapons and was now focused on something else; Willow was watching him in the background and gasped out in surprise, Xander turned to look at her, and nodded.











“Okay… okay,” Willow squeaked out.











“Okay what?” Eric asked eyeing the pair.











“Nothing,” she said with a bright smile before turning and looking at Xander again. Xander smiled in response.











Riddick and Eric shared a look, both of them thinking that the pair was up to something. Riddick shrugged it off; if it didn’t blow up he wasn’t going to worry about it right now.











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Nash had pulled the Cuda over and stared at Joe for several minutes. “I believe you. I don’t know why I believe you, but I do. This is a hellova a thing to find out, but hell, I’ve found out stranger. Let’s go get Evan and Buffy and kill whatever or whoever it is that has them.”











Joe grinned slightly, that was just the reaction he was hoping for. He almost felt sorry for the vampires that had taken Evan, almost, but not quite.